Milan Melindo (born February 29, 1988) is a
Filipino
Filipino may refer to:
* Something from or related to the Philippines
** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines.
** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...
professional boxer
Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...
who held the
IBF
The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...
and
IBO light-flyweight
Light flyweight, also known as junior flyweight or super strawweight, is a Weight class (boxing), weight class in boxing.
Professional boxing
The weight limit at light flyweight in professional boxing is 108 pounds (49 kilograms). When New York (s ...
titles in 2017. He also challenged for the
unified WBA (Super)
The World Boxing Association (WBA), formerly known as the National Boxing Association (NBA), is the oldest and one of four major organizations which sanction professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Council (WBC), International Boxi ...
and
WBO flyweight
Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports.
Boxing
Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb).
Professional boxing
The flyweight division was the last of bo ...
titles in 2013 and the IBF, WBA (Super), and
WBC light-flyweight titles between 2015 and 2018.
Early life
Milan Melindo was born on February 29, 1988, in
Cagayan de Oro
Cagayan ( ), officially the Province of Cagayan ( ilo, Probinsia ti Cagayan; ibg, Provinsiya na Cagayan; itv, Provinsiya ya Cagayan; fil, Lalawigan ng Cagayan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Cagayan Valley region, covering ...
,
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
. His passion for boxing came from his father, who bought him a pair of boxing gloves. When Melindo was 6 years of age his father trained him and introduce him to the sport of boxing. Growing up, Melindo took boxing as a hobby because it was through this sport he was able to continue his study through a scholarship program. When he graduated from high school, Melindo decided to take boxing seriously to help his family’s financial needs.
Melindo kept his unbeaten record going by defeating his veteran opponent via unanimous decision with the scores of 97-93, 98-92, and 96-94.
Fighting style
Melindo is considered one of the most skillful and promising boxers in the now-disbanded ALA (Antonio Lopez Aldeguer) boxing gym, although somewhat lacking in punching power. In fact, he scored only 13 KO's in 37 wins; most of these KO victories came when he was fighting in the minimumweight division.
Despite the lack of punching power, he makes up for it with his quick combinations and his ability to double-up his patented left hook.
Professional career
Early years at minimumweight
Melindo made his professional debut on September 17, 2005, defeating fellow Filipino boxer Meljun Grumo by unanimous decision at the Sports and Cultural Complex in
Mandaue City
Mandaue (), officially the City of Mandaue ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Mandaue; fil, Lungsod ng Mandaue), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 364,116 ...
,
Cebu
Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 ...
, Philippines.
Melindo won his first ever title, the vacant WBO Asia Pacific minimumweight championship, on October 6, 2007, by defeating Pongpan Patanakan Gym of
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
via technical knockout in the 4th round. The two fought at the Mindanao Polytechnic State College in
Cagayan de Oro
Cagayan ( ), officially the Province of Cagayan ( ilo, Probinsia ti Cagayan; ibg, Provinsiya na Cagayan; itv, Provinsiya ya Cagayan; fil, Lalawigan ng Cagayan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Cagayan Valley region, covering ...
. The Thai boxer was floored two times in the round, and the bout was stopped after a devastating knockout that left him unconscious for several minutes. Melindo defended the title in his next fight against Jack Amisa, whom he defeated by unanimous decision on December 2, 2007.
On March 14, 2009, Melindo took on
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
's
Muhammad Rachman at the
Waterfront Cebu City Hotel in
Cebu City
Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Sugbo; fil, Lungsod ng Cebu; hil, Dakbanwa sang Sugbo), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas Regions of the P ...
, Cebu.
He kept his unbeaten record going by defeating his veteran opponent via unanimous decision with the scores of 97-93, 98-92, and 96-94.
Light flyweight
Melindo won the WBA Inter-Continental light flyweight title on July 26, 2008, by defeating
Carlos Melo
Carlos Bolívar Melo (born September 22, 1982) is a Panamanian former professional boxer
Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the bo ...
from
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
at the Cebu Coliseum in Cebu City. Melindo won on points with scores of 117-111, 116-112 and 117-111.
Flyweight
On January 14, 2010, Melindo fought Anthony Villareal for the World Boxing Council (WBC) Youth Intercontinental flyweight championship belt at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel. The bout was part of the boxing event named "Bakbakan sa Sinulog". The unbeaten boxer defeated his foe by unanimous decision with the scores of :97-93, 95-94, and 96-93. Melindo kept his unbeaten record after 20 fights with five of his wins coming by way of knockout, while his opponent suffered his third loss against nine wins (4 KO).
After letting the deposed champion to take control of the action in the opening minutes of the first round, Melindo picked up the pace in the final half by knocking down Villareal in the final seconds with a solid right during an exchange. Stunned but not totally hurt by Melindo’s right, Villareal again started out strong in the second but his aggressiveness was once again silenced by another right from the Filipino challenger. Melindo slowly took control of the fight in the third round, when he began to throw more powerful against the tough opponent. Villareal became desperate to turn things around in the final rounds when he threw punches in volumes but most of his shots were wild and didn't hit Melindo.
Melindo was scheduled to face Devis Perez of
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
on April 10, 2010 at the Dubai Tennis Arena in
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
,
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
. However, the fight was postponed to April 23 because of the non appearance of
Bobby Pacquiao
Alberto "Bobby" Dapidran Pacquiao ( ; born April 23, 1980) is a Filipino former professional boxer and elected public official who competed in boxing from 1997 to 2008. He is the younger brother of Manny Pacquiao.
Boxing career
Pacquiao turned p ...
in one of the featured fights on April 9.
A day before the fight, Perez was replaced by Thailand's Komrit Twinsgym, who arrived only the previous night in Dubai as a last minute replacement of original opponent of Columbia who failed to make his way here after flights in Europe were disrupted due to Iceland volcanic ash hovering above the continent. The Melindo-Twinsgym bout was the Filipino's first fight outside the Philippines. The Cagayan de Oro native won the bout by TKO in the 4th round.
The undefeated fighter Melindo (21-0-0, 6KO) who was defending his WBC Youth Intercontinental title, floored Komrit Twinsgym (15-4-0, 11KO) in the first minute of the first round and again towards the end of the round looking to make short work of the travel-weary Thai. Komrit refused to let go and flurried Melindo with some combinations during heated exchanges with the stalking Melindo in the second and third round. Komrit was caught by Melindo's solid punches in the fourth round and was sent to the canvas again. Veteran referee
Bruce McTavish
Bruce McTavish (born ) is a New Zealand-born Filipino boxing referee and philanthropist residing in the Philippines. He has been named World Boxing Council Referee of the Year in 2013, 2015, and 2017.
A long time resident in the Philippines si ...
didn't count the Thai boxer and stopped the contest, allowing Melindo to retain his title. On August 28, 2010, Melindo fought Jin-Man Jeon at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel in Cebu. The Filipino pugilist won the bout by TKO in the 2nd round.
Other events
On March 11, 2010, Melindo received an award in the 28th SAC-SMB Cebu Sports Awards, along with four other Filipino boxers:
Z Gorres
Zeta Celestino Oliveros Gorres (born 18 April 1982) is a Filipino former professional boxer who challenged once for the WBO super-flyweight title.
Personal life
Gorres has a brother named Jun Gorres who was formerly a boxer but was stabbed to ...
,
Donnie Nietes
Donnie Liboon Nietes (born May 12, 1982) is a Filipino professional boxer. He is a world champion in four weight-classes, having previously held the WBO mini-flyweight title from 2007 to 2011; the WBO and ''The Ring'' magazine junior-flywei ...
,
Rodel Mayol and
Johnriel Casimero. The event was organized by the Sportswriters Association of Cebu (SAC) and held at the Casino Español de Cebu.
Professional boxing record
Titles in boxing
''Major World Titles:''
*
IBF
The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...
Light Flyweight Champion ''(108 lbs)''
''Minor World Titles:''
*
IBF
The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...
Interim
Light Flyweight
Light flyweight, also known as junior flyweight or super strawweight, is a weight class in boxing.
Professional boxing
The weight limit at light flyweight in professional boxing is 108 pounds (49 kilograms). When New York legalized boxing in 1920 ...
Champion (November 2016) ''(108 lbs)''
''Regional/International Titles:''
*
WBO International
Flyweight
Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports.
Boxing
Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb).
Professional boxing
The flyweight division was the last of bo ...
Champion (June 2012) (November 2013) (2x)''(112 lbs)''
*
WBO Inter-Continental
Flyweight
Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports.
Boxing
Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb).
Professional boxing
The flyweight division was the last of bo ...
Champion (September 2011) ''(112 lbs)''
*
WBA Inter-Continental
Light Flyweight
Light flyweight, also known as junior flyweight or super strawweight, is a weight class in boxing.
Professional boxing
The weight limit at light flyweight in professional boxing is 108 pounds (49 kilograms). When New York legalized boxing in 1920 ...
Champion (July 2008) ''(108 lbs)''
*
WBO Asia Pacific
Minimumweight Champion (October 2007) ''(105 lbs)''
[http://boxingvideo.org/videogallery/milan-melindo-nuapayak-sakkririn-full-fight/ ]
See also
*
List of light-flyweight boxing champions
This is a list of world light-flyweight boxing champions (also known as junior-flyweight), as recognized by the four major sanctioning organizations in boxing:
* The World Boxing Association (WBA), established in 1921 as the National Boxing Assoc ...
References
External links
*
Milan Melindo's blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Melindo, Milan
1988 births
Living people
Mini-flyweight boxers
Light-flyweight boxers
Flyweight boxers
World light-flyweight boxing champions
International Boxing Federation champions
Sportspeople from Cagayan de Oro
Boxers from Misamis Oriental
Filipino male boxers